Bullet point summary by AI
- Milwaukee’s bullpen has collapsed in three straight games, surrendering the decisive runs each time.
- One veteran closer stands out as the ideal fix for their late-inning struggles, though acquiring him requires a significant concession.
- The deal would test both franchises’ willingness to gamble on immediate impact versus long-term prospect value.
For the third game in a row, a Milwaukee Brewers reliever allowed what wound up being the game-winning run. First, it was Grant Anderson, then it was Abner Uribe, and on Saturday, it was Aaron Ashby, who surrendered a walk-off two-run homer to Ozzie Albies. The back-end of the Brewers’ bullpen, which consists of Ashby, Uribe and Trevor Megill, is good on paper, but has been fairly shaky this season.
This reality should lead to the Brewers making a trade for a reliever, and there figures to be none better at the trade deadline than Aroldis Chapman.
What a Brewers-Red Sox trade for Aroldis Chapman could look like
There’s a lot to consider while mapping out a Chapman trade. While on one hand, he’s a 38-year-old reliever on what could be an expiring contract, he’s also as good as any reliever not named Mason Miller and has tons of postseason experience. With that in mind, while the Boston Red Sox figure to get a strong return for Chapman, that fan base shouldn’t be expecting a franchise-altering haul. Here’s what a deal could look like.
The terms of this deal are quite simple. The Brewers would be receiving one of the league’s most dominant closers for this season and likely next, while the Red Sox would be acquiring two prospects, headlined by Jett Williams.
Would the Brewers accept this trade?
Admittedly, it’s tough to envision the Brewers making this kind of deal. They usually are on the receiving end of acquiring top-100 prospects, as was the case when they acquired Williams as the centerpiece in this past offseason’s trade that sent Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets. It’s tough to envision the Brewers turning around and trading Williams before even watching him appear in a game for them.
With that being said, this trade makes all kinds of sense for Milwaukee. Again, they could certainly use a back-end reliever, and while what they’d be giving up isn’t nothing it’s not as if they wouldn’t be able to rebound quickly.
Williams is a top 75 prospect on FanSided’s top 100 list, but he has a .705 OPS in Triple-A this season, and with middle infield prospects like Jesus Made, Luis Pena and all Cooper Pratt in their organization, he feels very expendable. Josh Knoth is an intriguing pitching prospect and he’s pitched pretty well after missing all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John Surgery, Milwaukee has never had a problem developing pitching.
It’s a hefty price, but it’s one worth paying, especially assuming Chapman will be under control for 2027 as well. Chapman’s $13 million mutual option becomes guaranteed if he throws 40 innings and passes a physical at the end of the year.
Verdict: Yes, reluctantly.
Would the Red Sox accept this trade?
The Red Sox did not expect to be in the position of fielding Chapman trade offers entering the year, but even after a win on Friday, Boston is 30-43 on the year, the second-worst mark in the American League. Given how long their odds are to make the playoffs, let alone go on a run in October, it makes all the sense in the world to trade a 38-year-old reliever in what projects to be a seller’s market.
Whether this is the right deal can be debated, but there’s a lot to like from Boston’s perspective. Sure, Williams isn’t having a great year in Triple-A, but he’s got an elite eye, runs well, has more power than you’d think, and is an extremely versatile defender, possessing the ability to play three infield positions and center field. Perhaps most importantly, Williams is a right-handed hitter, which is something the Red Sox could really use.
As for Knoth, he’s more of a dart throw, but he’s a worthwhile one. Knoth has a 2.70 ERA in five starts at High-A this season, which is certainly not bad for a 20-year-old coming off a major injury. Command can elude him at times, but he throws fairly hard and has two high-end off-speed offerings in his arsenal. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the back-end of a rotation in the not-too-distant future if he can stay healthy.
Getting Williams, a player who would fit this Red Sox team beautifully and could be big-league ready in the second half, alongside Knoth, feels like pretty strong value for Boston, especially when considering what late-game relievers like Jhoan Duran and Tanner Scott have gone for in recent years. Boston would be acquiring a top-100 prospect close to contributing in the majors and a nice secondary piece. That’s solid.
Verdict: Yes
More MLB news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google
